Single Hill radio reminder and other stuff

Hi everyone. I’m afraid I have to put on my serious “president’s hat” here.

I’ve heard that there have been some pilots flying at Single Hill without a radio.

In the online induction form - that hopefully everybody has done again for this season - it clearly states that CASA insist that every pilot has a radio (SAFA 5 Open or HGFA-Open channel on 472.125 MHz) so that they can be contacted by the Tower Contact Pilot.

There can be no dodging or ignoring this rule. NO RADIO = NO FLYING.

CASA have been cracking down on the requirements for us to fly there each time we renew the exemption, so the slightest error or mis-step could mean the end of flying at Single for everyone, forever.

A radio can be bought for as little as $30 or $40 so there really is no excuse to not carry one. Please don’t rely on other people having a spare to get you through.

We also ALL need to follow—to the letter—the protocols for contacting the tower and posting on ‎WhatsApp. We just can’t afford to do anything wrong that would give CASA or Hobart Tower an excuse to shut us down forever.

While on the subject of radios, if you are a PG2 you should have your own radio. It’s impossible to receive advice and safety directions while under supervision without one. Don’t assume the supervisor will have one for you to use. I personally will say no to supervising anyone without a radio, it's just not safe.

Also, it’s summer and there will likely be lots of visiting pilots around the state, so it’s important for every member to check that a Visiting Pilot has actually become a paid member of THPA, that they have an adequate licence rating for the site and have received the proper site induction at ALL of our sites, not just Single Hill.

If a non-THPA member flies at any of the sites we manage, especially places in parks or council land, they are violating our license and/or agreement with the land owner and would not be covered by Insurance (our licences stipulate “paid local or temporary visiting members of the THPA”). Any kind of incident in that situation could result in all 100+ Tassie members losing access to that site or in the case of our PWS sites, EVERY parks-managed site (which includes EHN and Tunbridge, as well as all of the dunes and all of the hike and fly possibilities we have fought so hard to achieve).

Nobody likes confrontation and you might feel like an arse having to ask if they have joined, but please do it for all of the members and visitors who are doing the right thing and for the future of the site.

Now with that hat thankfully taken off I wish you all a great holiday season full of great flying. Stay safe.

Brad Harris, President, on behalf of the committee.